Rumour: PlayStation 4 Will Retail for $399.99

Sony seems to have learned its lesson about insane price points. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the manufacturer is planning to sell its next console for around $399.99. The figure comes courtesy of Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which understands that the console will cost ¥40,000 in its home region. That translates to about $427 at the current exchange rate, but it’s likely that that number will get rounded down for North America.

Of course, it’s possible that the platform holder may release multiple configurations of its next console. A machine priced at $399.99 would probably be the cheapest option, especially considering that the Wii U currently sells for $349.99. We suspect that a premium model would include a bigger hard-drive and perhaps a subscription to PlayStation Plus.

Fellow newspaper Nikkei is also reporting today that the PS4 will include Gaikai technology, but it’s still not entirely clear what that actually means. The idea of being able to stream full games seems a bit farfetched at this time, but we could imagine demos being available instantaneously via the PlayStation Store. The publication added that the console will be “fully networked” and will “be furnished with the ability to exchange opinions amongst one's friends while playing games”. That sounds a lot like the ‘Share’ functionality that was detailed recently, doesn’t it?

We’ll find out more for sure on 20th February. In the meantime, try to contain your excitement.

[source gamesindustry.biz]